BY APPLICATION
Growth-to-Exit: Select Partnerships for Founders Building to Sell
For a small number of established founders planning a sale, we build and run the growth engine (Meta ads, funnels, follow-up and sales) and help make the business easier to diligence.
About 5 minutes · Reviewed by the founders · No obligation
What is a Growth-to-Exit partnership?
It is an application-only partnership for a small number of established founders who plan to sell their business in the next few years. Black Box Social Media builds and runs the marketing and sales engine and helps make the business easier to diligence. Any terms are set individually, in writing.
Buyers Pay for What Runs Without You.
When a buyer looks at your business, they look at the numbers and at how those numbers are produced. Is customer acquisition predictable? Is it documented? Does it depend on the founder?
Growth-to-Exit puts our full team behind those questions for a few years: a working acquisition engine, clean reporting, and less of the growth sitting in your head.
Who It Tends to Fit
Tends to fit
- An established business with a proven offer.
- Consistent revenue and profit.
- Clean financials you’re willing to share.
- An owner who wants to sell in the next few years.
- Readiness to change how marketing and sales run.
Usually not a fit
- Pre-revenue or idea-stage businesses.
- Turnarounds or distressed sales.
- Owners planning to sell in the next few months.
- Anyone not ready to share their numbers.
How It Works
- 01
Apply
About 5 minutes. We ask about revenue, profitability, history and your exit goals.
- 02
Fit call
If it looks like a fit, a call with Curt or Nick. We’ll ask hard questions, and you should too.
- 03
Diagnostic
A close look at your marketing, sales and numbers before any partnership is discussed.
- 04
Written agreement
If both sides want to proceed, a written partnership agreement prepared with each side’s own attorney and accountant. Nothing is agreed until it is signed.
- 05
Build and run
We build and run the growth engine, with exit readiness in view throughout.
What We’re on the Hook For, in Writing
A milestone plan
What we will build, and the metrics we will report against.
A reporting cadence
When you’ll hear from us and what the numbers will show.
Your ownership
Your ad accounts, data and systems stay in your business’s name.
Clear terms either way
What happens if a sale happens, and what happens if it doesn’t.
What We Don’t Do
We don’t find buyers, negotiate the sale or handle sale proceeds. Your own M&A adviser or broker runs the transaction. Our job is the growth engine and the evidence behind it.
PLACEHOLDER · Legal wording pending Nick’s Growth-to-Exit documentWhich Engagement Fits?
| Compare | Meta Advertising | Growth Consulting | Growth-to-Exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Facebook and Instagram campaigns, creative, tracking | Offer, ads, funnel, follow-up and sales | The full growth engine plus exit readiness |
| Who it’s for | Businesses that need paid acquisition that pays | Founder-led businesses with a proven offer | Established, profitable businesses planning a sale |
| How to start | Book a strategy call | Book a strategy call | Apply |
Reviewed by the Founders
Every application is read by Curt Maly or Nick Bridges, the co-founders who have run Black Box Social Media since 2010 and managed over $250M in ad spend.
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Curt Maly
Co-Founder -
Nick Bridges
Co-Founder
APPLICATION
Apply to See If You Qualify
About 5 minutes. Your answers are read by the founders and kept confidential. If it looks like a fit, we’ll be in touch to schedule a call. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you, and we may suggest another way we can help.
“G2E Application” survey
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Growth-to-Exit Questions
How are Growth-to-Exit partnerships structured?
There is no standard package. If a business is a fit, we discuss options with the owner, and any terms are set individually and in writing, with each side’s own attorney and accountant. Nothing is agreed until a written agreement is signed.
Which businesses qualify?
We review every application individually and take on only a small number of partnerships. We generally look for an established business with a proven offer, consistent revenue and profit, clean financials, and an owner with a clear exit goal. Apply to see if you qualify.
What happens after I apply?
We review your application and, if it looks like a fit, schedule a call. The usual next step is a diagnostic of your marketing, sales and numbers before any partnership is discussed.
Do you help sell the business?
We focus on growing revenue and making the business easier to diligence: documented acquisition systems, clean reporting and less dependence on the founder. The sale itself is handled by your own M&A adviser or broker.
Growth-to-Exit partnerships are offered selectively and on individually negotiated written terms. Nothing on this page is an offer, or investment, legal or tax advice. Results are not guaranteed.